Texas Town's Last-Minute Cannabis Drama: Lockhart's Decriminalization Debate Takes City Hall

A cannabis decriminalization initiative in Lockhart, Texas was headed for the ballot box to be decided upon in the November 2024 elections when an attempt to revise it surfaced at the last minute in a City Council meeting, surprising advocates who were apparently not prepared to walk away without a fight.

What Happened: In late July, supporters with Ground Game Texas and Mano Amiga Responsible Implementation (MARI) submitted enough signatures to qualify the initiative, known as the Lockhart Freedom Act, to appear on the ballot for voters to decide whether or not to decriminalize the possession of four ounces or less of marijuana.

However, and this is a huge however… the City Council was presented with an alternative proposal that would have broken the measure up into 13 separate questions to be decided upon individually, reported LoneStar Live on Wednesday.

Read Also: 73% Of Texans Support Full Cannabis Legalization Or Decriminalization, Including Plurality Of Republicans, Poll Finds

Who Would Do That After The Initiative Was Already Approved For A Vote?

That would be Brad Bullock, Lockhart City Attorney, who by the way insisted he was not trying to throw a wrench into the works.

"Believe it or not, I'm not trying to sabotage this," he said, leading numerous members of the public at the council meeting "to scoff and/or roll their eyes," described LoneStar Live.

One attendee said it best. “You’re not allowed to confuse the voters. The Texas Supreme Court has been really clear about ballot language. You cannot confuse the voters.”

Meanwhile, Ground Game Texas, which has led or supported at least 10 city-based marijuana campaigns across Texas sounded the alarm. Ground Game's general counsel Mike Siegel, called Bullock's proposal "both anti-democratic and illegal."

Elle Cross, MARI's campaign director called in the troops. She urged supporters to thwart any attempt to undermine what she called the community's collective voice. "We must stand united to ensure our initiative is presented as one measure on the ballot, respecting the will of the voters and maintaining the integrity of our democratic process."

Then What Happened?

A compromise was reached to have a revised version of the measure, which maintains its core language, appear on the ballot for which Lockhart residents can cast just one vote for or against. The Lockhart City Council agreed and voted 6-1 to put the measure on the ballot.

"This whole initiative is about people power—and if our community hadn't shown up, the amendment might have appeared on the ballot as 13 separate propositions. We look forward to seeing folks at the polls," said Cross.

And so it was that "people power" succeeded in Lockhart, one of Texas’s smallest towns with a population of some 15,000 people.  

Now Read:

• GOP Attor­ney Gen­er­al In Texas Loses Legal Battle Against Towns With Decriminalized Cannabis, Insists They’re ‘Run By Pro-Crime Extremists’

Photo of Lockhart City Hall courtesy of City of Lockhart